Captain Robinson prepares to set sail

SALE Sharks' captain Jason Robinson took time out from his hectic pre-season training schedule to reveal all about his knee and ankle operations, captaincy and his plans to outdo Sharks' wingers in the tryscoring stakes!

SALE Sharks' captain Jason Robinson took time out from his hectic pre-season training schedule to reveal all about his knee and ankle operations, captaincy and his plans to outdo Sharks' wingers in the tryscoring stakes!

Here's what he had to say:

Next season ...

Last year we finished third and I think potentially we can go better than that this year. We are in the Heineken Cup -that's going to be very tough- but we've got a good bunch of lads here, some good signings, a great team spirit and hopefully with a lot of hard work we'll do well.

His captaincy ...

I think you go through a lot of experiences on and off the field and during the games. You learn from the players around you, from the things you do well and from the things you need to improve on. I'm hoping it will be a bit better this year, I've got some great players behind me so hopefully I'll lead very well.

Relaxing after the Lions Tour ...

I've probably about two or three days [to relax] but I had my operation so I've been doing some recovery [training] and trying to get that right for the start of the season.

Injury ...

It's coming on really well. I'm just trying to get the movement and the strength back in it and hopefully I'll be out there on Friday night against Newcastle - that's my aim.

Newcastle game ...

It's going to be very tough they are a good team. We've played them on numerous occasions over the years and it has always been a tough game - they've got the likes of Wilkinson, Burke, Noon and co. Every team wants to make a big start to the season but hopefully we'll have a full house here and we'll give everybody plenty to shout about.

Scoring tries ...

[With a grin] There'll be plenty this year I've told the wingers that I'm not helping them out anymore! I've been their decoy for too many years at Sale so it's time for me to leave them behind in the try-scoring stakes!